Massive weight loss is really a huge decision, the majority of you reading have either gone through a massive weight reduction or are contemplating going through a massive weight loss. One of the common hesitations in losing weight may be the resulting loose skin occurring once your body went through a significant weight loss. It is common knowledge that slimming down = loose skin. Loose skin not merely occurs with a massive weight reduction but also with natural body occurrences such as pregnancy. The reason being once your system stretches through weight gain or through pregnancy; your skin loses its elasticity. First patients come in to talk about weight-loss and bariatric surgery, how it operates as well as your results. Many patients, however, decide they would like to go the less costly and natural way by strict exercise and diet but are concerned concerning the loose skin. Our doctors always tell patients to be realistic, being healthy is far more important than having loose skin. Even when you have loose skin after weight reduction there are ways to take it off such as post-bariatric surgery which includes tummy tucks, breast augmentations, and thigh lifts. The loose skin, although it may not seem like it, is a proud reminder of what lengths you’ve come and when you take that extra step to eliminate the loose skin, your body will be a whole trophy dedicated to yourself. In this post, we will see why and where that extra skin originated from and how exactly to reduce or remove it.
How We Burn Fat
Once we all know, matter can’t be created nor destroyed, so when you diet and exercise fat isn’t simply “disappearing” off your system. What occurs is really a form change, just like water and steam. The glucose and sugar that’s harnessed from carbohydrates are the first fuel sources. After the glucose runs out, fat takes over. Your body is really a constant interconnected conveyor belt that removes essential nutrients from the fat and delivers them to specific areas of the body. Hormones that regulate our blood sugar activate an enzyme in fat tissue called lipase. Lipase ignites fat cells release a triglycerides, which is what makes fat cells fat. If they get a signal from lipase to exit the fat cells, the triglycerides break-up into glycerol and fatty acids and enter the bloodstream for use in your body. The procedure of breaking down triglycerides into reusable energy is named lipolysis that is shuffled and reshuffled to produce heat, water, carbon dioxide, and ATP. Because the fat tissue has lost a few of its components, the cells shrink.
Why the Extra Skin?
When fat tissue is worked and the cells shrink, wouldn’t it make sense that your skin would shrink aswell? It depends. In the cases of moderate weight loss, skin can certainly shrink back to fit the body’s new size due to the elasticity due to collagen in the skin. However, collagen has its limits. Collagen fibers weaken with age and results in wrinkles. Rapid growth or weight gain also outpaces collagen production in the skin causing areas to over-stretch, resulting in stretch marks commonly seen in pregnancy and adolescents going right through puberty. In cases of massive weight-loss, the skin that is stretched has lost its collagen strength rendering it very difficult if not impossible for the excess skin to shrink back again to its former shape. Those undergoing gastric bypass surgery or bariatric surgery feel this pain. Because the number of patients going through weight loss surgery increases, so do corrective surgeries for the unwanted and uncomfortable skin. This extra skin can actually be a serious problem and will actually cause infections, rashes and even back problems.
Post-Bariatric Surgery and TREATMENT PLANS
The main determinant of just how much loose skin an individual could have following weight loss is their age. Younger patients generally have less loose skin than those who are older due to the strength of collagen in your skin layer. The next the very first thing is the amount of weight loss. An individual who loses 200 lbs. is more likely to have excess skin than someone who has lost 80 lbs. There are other factors of who’s more prone to have loose skin such as for example smoking, sun damage and skin color.
– Exercise: Exercise which includes increasing muscle town can tighten connective tissue. For patients who’ve undergone bariatric surgery are recommended to add a regular exercise regimen that’s helpful to maintain ones weight and can also serve to tighten loose skin to some extent.
– Body Contouring Procedures: For all those that are losing 80 lbs. to over 100 lbs. surgical treatments, known as post-bariatric surgery, can be found to tighten skin and take away the extra pockets of skin that inhibit your body from being as toned and tight because the individual would like. Here are the most common procedures for massive weight loss patients.
Abdomen, Thighs and Buttocks- The abdomen is normally one of the biggest concerns for folks following massive weight reduction. In both people, extra fat is stored both in the abdomen and under the skin of the abdominal wall. Consequently following weight reduction in those areas, extra skin appears. Huge amounts of hanging skin can result in the collection of moisture between your skin folds resulting in a condition called intertriginous dermatitis, which leads to irritation, redness and pain. Occasionally, your skin may even breakdown, bleed and be infected. With proper documentation, many insurance companies recognize this problem and provide full coverage from surgical removal through a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty. The abdominoplasty will solely remove the excess skin from your own stomach which is ideal for women following pregnancy. However, for those who have undergone weight loss surgery or perhaps a massive weight loss, excess skin is not limited to the stomach but also results in the buttocks and thighs. Due to this, surgeons will perform a procedure designed for weight-loss patients called a body lift. This calls for an abdominoplasty, thigh and buttock lift all at one time. This addresses and removes loose skin and cellulite across the thighs and buttocks and also the abdomen. Although the resulting scar is lengthy, it is confined to the waistline and is hidden by underwear, panties, or a bikini.
Breasts- Following a great weight loss, breast decoration often change significantly in both men and women. Everyone worries about sagging breasts as we age but few understand that massive weight reduction greatly accelerates the procedure. As women advance from girls to teens to twenties and to their later years, the glandular part of breasts is replaced by fat. The initial glandular tissue is significantly more firm than fat and therefore the skin becomes struggling to retract completely and produces severely ptotic or sagging breasts. This is called breast involution. There are lots of treatment options for women following weight loss. In case a woman desires less sagg
ing and really wants to be larger, a breast lift or mastopexy is needed. Again, surgeons will let you know your options and in addition remind you to be realistic with or breast augmentation could be satisfactory. The problems in men are similar however treatment is slightly different. Men tend to have larger breasts when over-weight. Based on a man’s age, amount of weight loss, and a few other factors he may bring about large breasts, large and/or sagging breasts, or satisfactory breasts following weight loss. Large and/or sagging breasts in men is called gynecomastia. Here liposuction alone could be satisfactory, financial firms not typical. Most men with both sagging and large breasts proceed through a two-staged procedure. The first stage is liposuction and is performed to remove excess fat and some glandular tissue. Over the next few months, the breast skin will retract slightly. Three to six months later, the patient will return to measure the situation and determine if the results is satisfactory. Delaying the next stage allows for significant skin retraction and when a skin tightening procedure is desired chances are to require smaller incisions.
The Bottom Line?
Being healthy has far greater importance than excess skin. Although, having excess skin can cause some serious issues there are non-surgical means of preventing infections such as keeping your excess skin dry. For those who are able and want to remove the excess skin, post-bariatric surgery is for you. keto is important to remember that these procedures should only be looked at after ones weight has stabilized; especially after weight reduction surgery. This can range from 7-18 months after weight reduction. The most important element in finding a plastic surgeon who is able to perform these procedures is that they must be board certified. If your plastic surgeon’s website or office does not advertise they are board certified you need to RUN! For everybody who has heard horror cosmetic surgery stories, this is probably where it started, having a medical procedure done without a board certified surgeon. Use ASPS (The American Society of Plastic Surgery) to locate a board certified surgeon in your area.